Michele Marieschi and Workshop

With Galleria Silva, Milan;

C. Sterlocchi, Milan, by 1958;

Ernest (1892–1967) and Rosemarie Kanzler (1915–2000);

By whom posthumously sold (‘Property of the Ernest and Rosemarie Kanzler Foundation’), New York, Sotheby’s, 5 June 2002, lot 103 for $136,000;

Where acquired by the present owner.

Arte Figurativa, 1958, vol. 2 (according to a mount at the Witt Library);

E. Martini, La pittura del Settecento veneto, Udine 1982, p. 536, fig. 751, reproduced (as by Michele Marieschi and Gaspare Diziani);

D. Succi, Marieschi tra Canaletto e Guardi, D. Succi (ed.), exh. cat., Gorizia 1989, pp. 223–25, fig. 282, reproduced (as Francesco Battaglioli(?));

F. Montecuccoli degli Erri and F. Pedrocco, Michele Marieschi, Milan 1999, p. 269 (as Michele Marieschi, with incorrect illustration).

Possibly recording an ambitious stage design, this impressive canvas ranks among Michele Marieschi's largest and most accomplished compositions, depicting a fantastical assemblage of architectural elements, including the domed Basilica di San Marco, Venice, in the distance. Little is known about Marieschi’s early training, though it is likely that he began his artistic career as a stage designer. His first recorded work in Venice dates to 1731—a set design for the Carnival Thursday festivities in the Piazzetta, created for the impresario Francesco Tasso. His early painted works took the form of capricci and vedute, influenced by fellow Venetians Luca Carlevarijs (1663–1730) and Marco Ricci (1676–1730), and further encouraged by the success of Canaletto’s (1697–1768) work in the genre. Marieschi’s paintings, however, stand apart from those of his contemporaries through their theatrical compositions, exaggerated perspectives, and bold coloring. He often collaborated with specialist figure painters such as Francesco Simonini (1686–1766), Giovanni Antonio Guardi (1699–1760), and Gaspare Diziani (1689–1767), who likely executed the figures in the present canvas.

Widely published, this work has been debated by scholars since its appearance on the art market in Milan in 1958 and has been accepted by several experts—including Edigio Martini, Filippo Pedrocco, and most recently Ralph Toledano—as an autograph work by Marieschi. An alternative attribution to Gaspare Diziani has been suggested; however, the absence of any comparable examples of his work means this claim must remain purely speculative.

We are grateful to all those consulted for their views.